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5 tended into the tank-chamber.

;o ume of gas.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE R. GILLETT AND OTTO S. HELLWIG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; SAIDI-IELLWVIG ASSIGNOR TO SAID GILLETT; SAID GILLETT ASSIGNOR TO THEGILLETT- GENERATOR COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

AC ETYLEN E-GAS G ENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,506, dated May 3,1898.

Application filed September 13, 1897. Serial No. 651,513. W modem To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLARENCE R. GILLETT and Orro S. HELLWIG, residentsof Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Gas-Generators, of which the following is herebydeclared to be a full,clear, and exapt description.

The invention is directed. to generators employed more especially forthe production of free acetylene gas by use of water as the excitingliquid acting in contact with calcic carbid as a basic material; and theobject is to provide improved means for automatically regulating thefeed-supply of the liquid re- 5 agent in keeping with the consumption ofgas at the burner orexternal circuit. The nature of the advance willappear in detail from the description and its scope be defined by claimat the conclusion.

:0 On the drawing the figure is a view in longitudinal central sectiondisplaying the device when adapted for use as a bicycle-lamp.

As employed for vehicle-lamps the generator is compactly built, ofgeneral cylindric :5 form, and comprises at top a gas-chamber A,

separated by partition a from water-tank B, which latter is closed bybottom plate I), but is detachably joined, gas-tight, to retort-cup C.The cup is generally made of cast metal ;0 and constitutes the receiverfor a carbid charge. A disk 0, sustained just below the bottom I), withits outer rim barely clearing the adjacent ring-flange 0, acts as ascreen to prevent solid particles of material within 5 the retort fromclogging the gas-exit tube (1.

to Between the water-tank and the retort is interposed an obstructivepercolator D, designed to regulate the water-feed. The body of thepercolator is conveniently of cylindric form, united to bottom plate b,and is ex- A lateral tubule d reaches from the percolator and opens intothe tank. Above-the mouth of the tubule the percolator extends to form aclosed receiver E for trapping a minor vol- A pipe-section g, uniteddetachably to the lower end of the percolator, constitutes an extensionthereof and carries a stuffing h, of lamp-wick or like porous material,to obstruct the passage of water.

On filling tank B with water, as through hole 2', the liquid flows inmeasure along tubule d and eventually saturates the stuffing h. ,Thereis no drip of water into the retort beneath, nor will this ensue unlessthe pressure over the wad h is higher than that existing at the retort.

If a charge of carbid be filled into the detached retort C and a fewdrops of water be added, then on restoring the retort to place in theapparatus the slight volume of gas generated by the few drops of liquidwill proceed in part through exit-tube cl into storagechamber A inreadiness to feed burner e on turning cock f. Another portion of the gaswill force its Way past stuffing h at the percolator and, driving backthe water in tube at, will rise through the tank-supply and accumulateover the free surface of the water. Simultaneously the closed trap E ofthe percolator will fill with gas, which stays confined therein overstuffing h and the mouth of tube d.

By opening cock f at the burner the gaspressure within the retortbecomes less than that existing over the water in tank B. Hence thewater begins to feed through tube cl and past the percolator, fallingdrop by drop onto the carbid in retort C. So long as the pressure at theretort is less than that over the water-tank the feed of water willcontinue, but will stop when the opposite condition prevails. This shiftin condition back and forth is reflected in the pulsatory character ofthe flame. The flame flares up and then flickers down, and if shut ofientirely the pressure at the retort is often too highly developed beforethe water-feed can be fully arrested. To avoid these defects is theobject of closed receiver E, which acts as a governor or cushion-trap atthe percolator, and by reason of its confined gas serves to minimize theinequalities of feed and renders the working of the apparatus moresteady and uniform. It also becomes quickly sensitive in event theconsumption of gas is stopped, and operates to check the further flow ofwater at tubule d, which is then of high moment.

Obviously the details of structure can be varied by the meohanics skillwithout departank beneath the Waterlevel therein and the ture from theessentials of the foregoing. closed cushion-trap for gas joined to theper- Having just described our invention, what colator on the tank sideof its wad and above we claim as new, and desire to secure by LettheWater-inflow to the percolator, substan- I 5 ters Patent, is tially asdescribed.

In gas-generators, the combination with the v 1 retort and itscontrollable outlet, of the separate water-tank, the percolatorinterposed I between said retort and tank discharging at Witnesses:

IO one side of its obstructive wad into the retort PETER P. WOOD,

and at its opposite communicating with the 1 JAMES H. PEIROE.

